Imagine it’s the height of the holiday gift buying season and you’re walking with many other shoppers toward the entrance of a major retailer. Above the sound of nearby traffic and tinny holiday music being piped out of the store, you hear the familiar ringing of a Salvation Army bell. The bell ringer is wearing a flopped over Santa hat. His arm moves rhythmically up and down as he holds the door, wishes everyone “Merry Christmas!” and nods a thank you to the few who drop [...]

As a financial advisor, I am in an incredibly unique position to be the quarterback for my client’s complete financial picture, and this is a responsibility I take very seriously! One of the most critical pieces of the money puzzle is the one that no one likes to think about - estate planning. It can seem overwhelming, and frankly, scary to think, “what do I do with my money when I don’t need it anymore?” Nothing like a little existential dread, am I right? (Sometimes, you’ve [...]

Many of us know the basic details of the Pilgrims: How they left England and came over on the Mayflower. How they all nearly died that first winter. And how they survived with the help of an English-speaking Native American named Squanto. When their next successful harvest was gathered in, they celebrated with the feast that has come down to us as Thanksgiving. But we rarely stop and wonder how a group of English who had only lived under a monarchy decided to establish a largely [...]

In 1989 Steven Covey published The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Having sold more than 25 million copies, it remains one of the most popular self-help books of all time. And Time Magazine listed it as one of “The 25 Most Influential Business Management Books.” Much attention has been paid to the seven habits themselves, which are excellent guidelines for developing into a more mature and ultimately successful person. But Covey covers a much weightier principle, one that must be embraced before the good habits can [...]